Antiskid tire



April 19, 1 949. e. A. ALEXlADlS ANTISKID-TIRE Filed April 21, 1948 IN!'ENTOR.

GEOQGE ALEXANDER ALEX/AD/S Patented Apr. 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTQFFICE 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in anti-skidtires.

Many attempts have been made to construct practical anti-skid tires, vbut each embodied numerous inherent deficiencies which prevented theircommercial adaptation. In some tires detachable and replaceable studswere used upon the tread but such studs became worn very rapidly and itwas a diifi cult matter to replace worn studs, with new studs becausethe recesses in the tire tread were also partially worn. It wouldrequire great skill to do the job and a majority of automobile driverscould not possibly do it. Moreover, replacing a large number of studsrequires several hours of work.

Attempts have also been made to embed various metal cables and otherobjects in the treads of tires but each of these proved unsatisfactoryin that in a short period of time they Wore down and became smooth andofiered no anti-skid effect. Attempts were made to use cement filledstuds but these had little or no value in that the cement soon crushedinto powder after but a few miles of operation, and then theconstruction only served to weaken the tread without any anti-skidprotection. Moreover, the remnants of broken and crushed studs thencomprised merely elements of destruction of the tire and its fabriclayers. Most of these constructions added considerable weight to thetire and reduced its elasticity.

In other tires attempts were made to bond particles of abrasive into thetread with brass or latex. However, these particles were of haphaz ardirregular shapes and scattered independently through the tread of thetire and had no substantial support. After the tire was used but a shorttime the abrasive particles would peel out from the surface of the treadand leave objectionable cavities. Friction on the road would split theparticles into smaller particles and so readily dislocate them.Moreover, the particles usually were of hard brittle substances whichwere out sooner than the rubber of the face of the tread.

In spite of the various attempts made to construct anti-skid tires skidchains have been and still are being generally used. Such chains arehighly unsatisfactory in many respects. They are diilicult to apply andremove from the tires. They wear out rapidly and break in one or moreplaces. In fact busy cars such as taxicabs are capable of wearing out apair of ohainsin three days time. Very frequently the chains do not actto prevent-or stop a slcid; Despite these objectionable features, chainshave proved to be more practical than the heretofore attemptedconstructions of anti-skid tires.

The dominating feature of this invention resides in the construction ofan anti-skid tire which is exceptionally durable and effective inoperation. It is proposed to so construct the new tire that there is noneed of mounting on or taking off any parts when road conditions changefrom dry roads to ice and snow, or vice versa.

Another and important object of this invention is to incorporate in thetread of the tire emery lumps fashioned and mounted within the tread soas to effectively act as an anti-skid agent and maintain their positionsin the tire in a permanent manner. It is proposed that the emery lumpsbe encased in a thin metal sheet casing or other construction arrangedat regular or irregular positions upon the tread of a tire at a greatmany points and places. It is proposed that the emery lumps be pureemery'or a mixture with other suitable ingredients. The emery may befine grain or coarse and irregular grain, though the latter isrecommended, preferably the size to be that of lentil or slightlylarger.

Another and important object of this invention resides in so fashioningthe emery lumps and the casings which house the lumps, that these partsare of substantially frusto-c-onical shapes embedded in the vulcanizedrubber tread of the tire with their small ends in the face of the treadand their large ends deep in the tread. It is further proposed toprovide the inner ends of the casings of the emery lumps with spacedarms extending inwards of their large ends, and anchorage discs mountedacross the arms in order that the rubber material of the tread extendsin between the arms and between the large ends of the casings and thediscs. With this construction the discs hold the casings from moving inall directions, namely, inwards and outwards and angularly. The casingsthemselves are firmly held from moving laterally. During the wearingdown of the tire tread and the Wearing down of the casings and the emerylumps, the casings and emery lumps can never be displaced from the treadbecause the remaining parts are always larger than the parts at the faceof the tread of the tire. In addition they are always permanentlyembedded in place.

Not only will the new tire be anti-skid on snow and ice but it will alsohave a better traction on dry roads. When brakes are applied on a carfitted with the tires the car will be brought to a quicker stop in ashorter distance because the tires will better grip the road than tirespresently in use. This is also true when the tires are used on ice andsnow. The emery particles will set up such frictional resistance on iceand snow as to bring the car to a quicker stop in a shorter distance. Inthis respect the new tires are far superior to the present day chains,

It is contemplated that this invention be used on new tires, or thatdemountable tread coverings embodying the invention'be providedforoldtires alreadymanufactured without the advantages of this invention.

Another object of the invention is the construe.-

tion of a device as described which is simpleand. durable and which maybe manufactured and" sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the. invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in. which thevarious novel features. of the invention are more particularly set'forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a1ma-.- terial part of thisdisclosure Fig. lis a fragmentary edge view of a section of a wheelprovided with. a tire constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary radialsectional'view of the wheel shown in Fig.1, this section being taken on the, line 22 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of a portion of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is anenlarged sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The new anti-skid tire, in accordance with this invention, is providedwith the usual rubber tread |0,, (or with a rubber tread membermountable on the usual rubber tread of a present day the). The rubbertread I0. is provided'with a plurality of irusto-conical hollow casingsll embedded in the rubber tread during the vulcanization thereof. Thesecasings II have their small diameter ends l2 open and disposed in theface. of 'thetread H The large diameter ends l3 are closed and-disposeddeep in the tread. Abrasive material such as emery I4 is packed in andfills the casings II andis suitably bonded in position withmelted tin.(Sn) or. other soft metal.

Each of the casings II is provided'with spaced arms I5 on their sidesand extending inwards of the large ends l3 thereof. A disc I6 is.mounted between the arms [5 of each ofthe casings H in order that therubber material of the. tread l extends in between the arms I and inbetween the large end of the casing II and thedisc it of each casing ll, as clearly illustrated in.Figs..3 and 4.

It is proposed that the casings ll be of metal, thoughother durablematerials would be just as satisfactory. It is proposed that the emery Mbe initially produced in lumps of the size of lentils,- or slightlylarger. Then the emery is packed in and securely bonded in said casingsl l with melted tin or other soft metal andallowed to harden. It isfurthermore proposed that thecasings ll be provided with lateralprojections l8, such as beads, on their sides for engaging into therubber material of the tire tread In to further and more securely holdthe casings in position. Moreover, it is proposed that the casings ll bebonded in position during the vulcanization of thetire.

The'casings l l with the emery M are arranged at-spaced positionsthroughout the tread I ll of the tire. They may be arrangedinuniformdrasignsv or any other arrangement; Fig. lishows one of thesedesigns. It is further proposed that the tread ID of the tire beprovided with grooves 20 extending annularly across the tread so as toact as a multiple screw during the rotation of the tire to force ice andsnow to one side of the wheel. These grooves 20 also add to the tractionof the tire.

The operation and use of the invention may be better understood from thefollowing.

The emery masses l4-are"permanently mounted in the-tread ofthe tire:They cannot'peel out because their inner ends are larger than theirouter ends. Moreover the casings H in which theemery I4 is mounted issecurely anchored by the fact that the material of the tread l0 engagesin-between-therarms l5 and in between the discs l6. and the closed. endsI3 of the casings. The discs lli'serve' t'o finmly hold the casings Hfrom coming: out and also restrain the casings from wobbling. Duringoperation of the tire the easings H andthe eme-ry Il -will weardown'later than the tread. But at all timesduring traction the emerywill be substantially flush with the face of. thetread and theroad soas-to'act upon the roador ice and snow on the road. The traction of! thetireis materially increased which serves as anti-skidding, andfurtherserves to better grip thegroundfor starting andzstopping and duringdriving. upon roads in various I conditions.

Additional advantages of the'new' tire havealready. been stated in theobjects.

While I have illustrated'and described the: pre ferred embodiment of. myinvention, it is to be understoodthat I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed and the right isreservedtoallchanges and modifications comingwithin the scope of the-inventionas defined in the appended claims.

Having thus: describedmyinvention, whatI claim as: new and desiretosecure by United States-Letters Patent 15-:

1'. Anianti-skid tirehaving a. vulcanized rubber tread, and. a pluralityof frusto-conicalhollow casings embedded in said vulcanized rubber treadwith their. small ends: open and in the face of said tread'andl theirlargeendsclosedand deep in said tread, anemery abrasive materialifillingsaid .casingsspaced arms on the sides-of each of saidcasingsandextending inwards: of the large end offtlie casing,.and. a discmountedbetween the arms of each casing in order that the rubber materialof -.said tread extends between said arms andbetween .thelarge end ofthecasing and said disc..

21. An anti-skid tirev having a vulcanized rubber. tread, andanplurality of. frusto-conical hollow casings embeddedinrsaidvulcanizedrubber treadwitli their. small vends open and: in the faceof'said' tread and their. large endsclosed and deepinsaid tread,..anemery abrasive material filling saidcasings, spaced arms'on the sides'of eachof. said casings. and extending. inwards-of the large. end ofthe.casing, .anda disc, mounted between the arms of. each casing in orderthat the rubber material of said tread extends between said armsandbetween the large end .of the casing, and said disc,;.said hollowcasings beingrofmetal and said I emery. abrasive. material being bondedin position withsoft metal. i

3; An i anti=skiditirehavinse a vulcanized. rubber tread. and a.plurality of. frusto-conical ho1-- low casings embeddedinsaidnvulcanized rubber tread with. their small lends. open and m-theface of, said'treadand. their; large ends closed and deep in said;tread, anemery abrasive-material filling said casings, spaced arms onthe sides of each of said casings and extending inwards of the large endof the casing, a disc mounted between the arms of each casing in orderthat the rubber material of said tread extends between said arms andbetween the large end of the casing and said disc, and projections onthe sides of said casings engaging into the rubber material of saidtread.

4. An anti-skid tire having a vulcanized rubber tread, and a pluralityof frusto-conical hollow casings embedded in said vulcanized rubbertread with their small ends open and in the face of said tread and.their large ends closed and deep in said tread, an emery abrasivematerial filling said casings, spaced arms on the sides of each of saidcasings and extending inwards of the large end of the casing, a discmounted between the arms of each casing in order that REFERENCES CITEDThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,435,566 Wanderly et a1. Nov.14, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 355,660 France Nov, 9, 1905

